Diarrhea can result from a variety of pathophysiological disorders including bacterial and parasitic infections, disease or debilitation of organs such as liver, adrenal and others. It can also occur as a result of other therapy or diet. In all cases, diarrhea is generally a symptom of organic gastrointestinal disorders and not itself a disorder. Chronic diarrhea is generally due to intestinal hypermotility and rapid transport. It may also be due to, or accompanied by hypersecretion of acid gastric juices or decreased reabsorption and may, in some instances, particularly those accompanied by hypersecretion, be associated with emotional tension and psychological conflicts.
Antidiarrheal compounds are, of course, well-known in the medicinal arts and take various forms. In particular there are a variety of products known which act systemically to provide antidiarrheal effects when administered in a manner which will enable the drug to be taken into the system at effective therapeutic levels.
One known antidiarrheal compound is, for example, bismuth subsalicylate which has been shown to be effective in the treatment and prevention of diarrhea symptoms. However, bismuth subsalicylate may be a problem if patients are taking aspirin or taking other salicylate-containing drugs since toxic levels of salicylate may be reached even if the patient follows label directions for each drug. Also, high blood salicylate levels may exert an antiplatelet effect.
It would therefore be highly desirable to be able to potentiate the antidiarrheal activity of bismuth subsalicylate and to provide more effective antidiarrheal activity and to lower the effective dosage levels of bismuth subsalicylate. Also advantageous would be the ability to increase the duration of the antidiarrheal activity thereof.